THIS was an old, charming neighborhood, filled with residential buildings just under ten stories tall. The spaces between the buildings were broad and open, with a remarkably high level of greenery and lush foliage.

　　Ding Yi parked his car in a temporary parking spot in front of one of the buildings, then dialed Su Manhua’s number. After that, he sat quietly in the car, waiting patiently.

　　Not long after, Su Manhua emerged from the building, accompanied by an older couple. The man was dragging a suitcase and walking a bit behind, while Su Manhua, laughing and chatting animatedly, had her arm linked with the woman’s. Judging by their appearance, the couple seemed to be Su Manhua’s parents.

　　Ding Yi got out of the car and opened the trunk. As the trio approached, he realized with a jolt of surprise that he recognized the man. Before Ding Yi could say anything, the man’s face lit up with joy upon seeing him.

　　“Deputy Manager Ding!” he exclaimed warmly.

　　“Director Su, please just call me Ding Yi,” Ding Yi responded with a modest smile, thinking it wise to adopt a humble stance in front of a city-level regulator from the CBIRC.

　　“You are right. Calling you by your title feels too formal,” Mr. Su chuckled heartily.

　　Ding Yi could only smile awkwardly.

　　“You two know each other?” Su Manhua remarked, her eyes wide with curiosity and delight. “What a small world!”

　　“We’ve worked together quite often,” Ding Yi explained briefly, adding a touch of respect to his tone.

　　“Well, now I can finally be at ease,” Mr. Su sighed deeply. “she said she’d catch a ride with a student’s parent to Hedong, and I haven’t slept a wink since last night. But knowing she’s traveling with you, I am relieved.”

　　“It’s getting late. Let them hit the road,” said Mrs. Su, tugging at her husband’s sleeve to give him a hint.

　　Driving from Linghai to Hedong takes at least six hours. It was already two in the afternoon, and the route near Hedong is treacherous, with towering mountains, countless tunnels, and elevated bridges winding along the edge of gorges. Traveling those roads at night is extremely dangerous.

　　“Alright, you two should get going!” Mr. Su loaded daughter’s luggage into the trunk. After both of them got into the car, he reminded Ding Yi, “Drive carefully.”

　　Ding Yi nodded, started the engine, and set off.

　　The car quickly merged onto the highway. Su Manhua, seated in the passenger seat, stole a glance at Ding Yi. He was focused on the road, his stern profile revealing no hint of emotion.

　　“If you have something to say, just say it,” Ding Yi remarked, without turning his head, aware of her furtive glances.

　　Su Manhua was startled. She hadn’t expected Ding Yi to initiate the conversation.

　　“Nothing, I just feel like I’m troubling you too much.”

　　“It doesn’t matter, we’re going the same way.”

　　Su Manhua was left wordless. What could she say? Ding Yi had a knack for killing conversations. If it were with familiar friends, she might have livened up the atmosphere, but facing Ding Yi, she thought it best to hold back. Misunderstandings would only cause more trouble.

　　The car returned to silence.

　　Ding Yi drove, and Su Manhua had no desire to sleep. Both remained silent, yet the atmosphere was naturally calm and not awkward.

　　Before long, Ding Yi’s phone rang. He put on his Bluetooth headset to answer—it was a call from Jhao Chin. They had originally arranged to meet tomorrow, but Jhao Chin had something come up and was calling to reschedule.

　　It had been over two months since Ding Yi first called Jhao Chin. As soon as he got the phone number, he contacted Jhao Chin the same day. However, Jhao Chin was not in Linghai. He had retired and moved to Hedong to live with his son.

　　It’s no doubt that Jhao Chin clearly knew something. When Ding Yi first called, he was tight-lipped, revealing nothing until Ding Yi disclosed his identity as Huo Yanjhih’s son. Only then did he become more forthcoming, though he insisted on sharing information in person.

　　Afterward, Ding Yi was seconded to headquarters, appointed as the lead for a special anti-money laundering audit project. He led a team to audit the anti-money laundering operations of six city-level branches. By the time this round of audits was completed and he returned to Linghai, it was already mid-July.

　　In early August, Ding Yi returned to Hedong University for his in-service training courses. Since it hadn’t been long, he arranged to meet Jhao Chin during this trip.

　　As for Su Manhua joining the trip, it all started with Sia Chingching.

　　Linghai was a picturesque place known for its beautiful landscapes and talented people. One of its counties was home to a famous Buddhist mountain, reputed for its efficacy in granting wishes to those who prayed there.

　　Sia Chingching, about to enter her senior year, was deeply anxious about her future. Her best friend from the same dormitory, a local, invited her to visit and pray at the mountain. As soon as the summer vacation began, she went along.

　　On the 19th day of the sixth lunar month, the day of Guanyin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment, Sia Chingching and her friend went up the mountain to join the festivities. There, they happened to run into Su Manhua.

　　Sia Chingching had chosen Su Manhua as her thesis mentor, and knowing Su Manhua would return to campus in early August to help with their thesis designs, she invited her to join their trip back to Hedong.

　　Initially, they planned for the three of them to travel together. However, Sia Chingching’s friend’s boyfriend had a sudden car accident yesterday, prompting her to fly back to Hedong with her friend. In the rush, Sia Chingching completely forgot to inform Su Manhua.

　　It wasn’t until early morning when she received Ding Yi’s call that Su Manhua realized it would just be her and Ding Yi on this trip.

　　Having learned from her friend Ling Yueh that Ding Yi was a staunch bachelor, she felt reassured and agreed to travel with him as planned.

　　Before long, boredom took over, and Su Manhua fell asleep.

　　As they approached a curve, the car was going too fast, and Su Manhua was thrown against the car door by the inertia. Then her head hit the window with a thud. She grimaced and muttered a curse under her breath, rubbing her head before falling back asleep without even opening her eyes.

　　Seeing this, Ding Yi’s expression remained neutral, though the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

　　He had initially planned to leave early in the morning for the long drive. Just before departure, Manager Mo from the Credit Department called to say that he hadn’t signed the minutes of the last loan review meeting. Ding Yi returned to the office, not wanting to leave any loose ends during his extended leave. Unexpectedly, he was then called by Syueh Honghuei for a discussion that lasted until one in the afternoon.

　　Leaving later than planned, Ding Yi wanted to reach Hedong before dark. On stretches of road without speed cameras, he kept the car at around 150 kilometers per hour. Seeing Su Manhua wince from her head bump, he instinctively slowed down.

　　Su Manhua drifted in and out of sleep and didn’t know how long she had been out. When she fully woke up, Ding Yi had already pulled into a rest area parking lot on the highway.

　　Noticing she was awake, Ding Yi turned off the engine and said, “Let’s have dinner here.”

　　Checking her phone, Su Manhua saw it was almost six o’clock. She quickly got out of the car and headed to the restaurant to order food.

　　She felt quite guilty. Ding Yi had driven the entire way, while she had slept through most of it. If her driving skills weren’t so poor, she might have been able to take over for a bit.

　　After dinner and a twenty-minute rest, they continued their journey.

　　As they left the service area, the sun gradually set, and the sky darkened.

　　This time, Su Manhua felt too embarrassed to fall asleep again. She thought it necessary to apologize.

　　“Chingching’s uncle, sorry! I’ve never driven on the highway before, otherwise I could have taken over for a while. You’ve had a tough time.”

　　“Don’t worry. I’m familiar with this road and used to driving alone,” Ding Yi chuckled and said. He had seen her driving skills firsthand and wasn’t confident enough to let her drive. “You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me by my name.”

　　He didn’t want to cause any future misunderstandings.

　　“I-I can’t bring myself to do that,” Su Manhua said and glanced at him sideways. He looked a few years older than her, and his serious demeanor made it feel disrespectful to call him by his first name.

　　“Call me whatever you like,” Ding Yi said.

　　“How about…Mr. Ding?” she suggested, opting for the most common form of address.

　　“That’s fine,” replied Ding Yi.

　　The journey continued in silence.

　　As it got darker, visibility worsened, and they entered a series of tunnels.

　　This area marked the boundary between Huayue, a prefecture-level city, and Hedong. The terrain was mountainous and rugged, with majestic peaks, turbulent rivers, deep gorges, and treacherous rapids stretching over thirty kilometers. The highway, elevated on high bridges, wound through the mountains like a giant dragon.

　　Entering the tunnel cluster, they encountered strong crosswinds shortly after passing through the fifth tunnel.

　　Ding Yi was familiar with this route so he knew there were signs warning of crosswinds. Although he had never experienced them before, he still reduced his speed.

　　However, as soon as the car exited the tunnel, a sudden, fierce gust of wind struck from the side, causing the vehicle to swerve abruptly.

　　Originally in the fast lane, the car was blown straight into the outer emergency lane, heading dangerously towards the guardrail.

　　“Ah!” Su Manhua clutched the overhead handle, screaming in fright.

　　Ding Yi reacted swiftly, yanking the steering wheel and simultaneously hitting the brake pedal. To his dismay, the brake felt light and unresponsive. Realizing the gravity of the situation, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes.

　　With a strong pull on the wheel, he managed to get the car back to the middle of the road.

　　The road ahead was a steep downhill slope. Even without pressing the accelerator, the car was speeding. Ding Yi turned on the hazard lights and quickly shifted the gear to neutral.

　　Just as Su Manhua sighed in relief, a clicking sound came from under Ding Yi’s steering column.

　　“What’s that noise? Can you slow down?” she asked, and her voice trembling with fear.

　　Seeing another curve ahead, Ding Yi glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed a trailer about a hundred meters behind them.

　　“Do you know how to swim? How good are you?” he asked, instead of answering Su Manhua’s question.

　　“Yes, I can swim, but I’m not a very good swimmer,” although confused, Su Manhua replied.

　　“You’d better close your eyes,” Ding Yi said calmly. Then he shifted to a higher gear and floored the gas pedal.

　　The car shot forward like an arrow.

　　With the curve ahead, the steering wheel in Ding Yi’s hands was useless, having completely lost its functionality. The car sped straight towards the guardrail.

　　“No! Are you crazy?” Su Manhua screamed, leaning over to grab the steering wheel. Although the wheel moved, the car’s direction didn’t change.

　　Their car crashed through the guardrail and flew off the edge, plunging towards the deep canyon and the raging river below.